Yes, I am… Generation X that is

Generation X or Gen X’s were born after the Baby Boomers and before the Millennials.

There are no exact dates to define the start and end of Generation X although we generally use the birth years ranging from the early to mid 1960’s through to the late 1970’s to early 1980’s

The term “Generation X” has been used at times to describe an alienated youth., while the “X” refers to an unknown variable or to a desire not to be defined.

We were children at a time when society focused on adults rather than children, As teenagers our lives were overshadowed by ever-increasing divorce rates, broken families and we grew up with significantly less adult supervision than ever before. Kids who came home to an empty house who were unsupervised until a parent returned home from work were described as ‘latchkey kids’.

Interestingly, when I started school it was more or less expected that women would be stay-at-home mums who would take responsibility for managing the household and organising the family. In fact, whenever asked, I would actually tell people

‘I want to be a mum’

Fast forward 12 years and wtf? Now I’m expected to be super-mum and have a career as well.

Of course, another constant was the threat of nuclear war – WW3 was going to be the war to end all wars and it was inevitable that they would someday drop the bomb. This just added to the eternal ‘doomsday’ predictions.

The approaching new millennium proved to be an uneasy time for most. Who could forget Y2K? With computer systems that were unable to cope with a date change from 19XX to 20XX.

These are just some of the reasons why Gen Xer’s lived by the following motto.

“We’re here for a good time, Not a long time”

So, exactly what didwe want to be when we grew up? The answer was actually quite simple – we just wanted to be happy!

As I get older (and presumably wiser!) I continue to learn, what I like to call the ‘home truths’. Such as, the difference between being ‘happy‘ with what you have and being ‘content‘ with what you have. They can be perceived as two very different concepts which provoke pole opposite action and/or thought.

Many ‘truths’ are learnt from life experience and for me, they have been life-changing lessons. Lessons that touch you heart and soul and leave you with a peaceful, calm feeling within. In fact, my tagline (“Living Smarter, Not Harder”) was created to reflect my ‘revised’ attitude and outlook on life

The Great Dictator was Charlie Chaplin’s first film with dialogue. Chaplin plays both a little Jewish barber, living in the ghetto, and Hynkel, the dictator ruler of Tomainia. The final speech was written by Chaplin himself for the end of the movie as a call for peace from the barber who has been mistaken for Hynkel. It was criticized by many and said to be superfluous to the film. While others, myself included, found it uplifting.

Without a doubt, Chaplin’s words are as relevant today as they were in 1940.

Which leaves me wondering, how far have we really come? And are we even heading in the right direction? Perhaps we’re moving further away with every advance.

Tender perfectly describes how I feel right now; tender in heart, mind and spirit.

The last two weeks of May was the final curtain call in the drama that apparently was my life for the past 4 years. Even now, counting out the years on my fingers, I just can’t believe how much time that has passed and how much (crappy) stuff I’ve dealt with – or perhaps not dealt with.

The events of these years played out with a domino effect, you could say it was like an avalanche that started with a quiet rumble and just got bigger and more out of control until it was unfathomable and unavoidable.

They hit me in every corner and effected every part of my being. I am no longer the same person that I was before this ordeal started. For better or for worse? Well, I guess that remains to be seen.

But if this wasn’t enough, the final blow, the last nail to be driven into the coffin was when the system that’s meant to protect me ended up being a complete failure.

I like to think that truth will always prevail in the end and yeah yeah, I know, the judge and jury don’t ‘KNOW’ anything for sure and they can only go by the evidence that is before them.

But I DO KNOW the truth about the events in Feb 2015. I waited two and a half years to finally have my day in court, and every little bit of strength that I had built within since that night was once again, stripped from me when the system failed grandly.

Well, fuck the system, I never had much faith in it anyway.

The only thing that will save me and restore some of that faith is if the system could repay me in kind by sending my man home at the end of June. It’s torture being apart however, I won’t allow myself to hope (not yet anyway) because I fear the disappointment that comes with him not being released.

But come on now, fair’s fair – I think the system owes me one, don’t you?

Besides, it’s time for us to move on from our past and start to create our future.